Student Name
Mr. Santone
CHC 2D
Thursday October 16 2014
The Greatest of the Slaughters
The Battle of the Somme took place during the summer of 1916 and was one of the
largest of the Great War. Characterized as a useless slaughter, the Somme highlighted for
many the brutalities of war. The Somme was the most important battle in World War I.
This can be demonstrated through an examination of its reputation as the bloodiest battle
in human history, the complete disregard for human life on the part of British
commanders, and the specific case of the Newfoundlanders at Beaumont-Hamel.
It has been argued that perhaps Vimy Ridge or Canada’s 100 Days are more important
battles than the Somme, especially when considering the role Canadians played in both
battles. There is no doubt that both are important battles in Canadian history. In fact, both
battles had heavy casualties and several examples of futile, destructive acts. Both,
however, were well-planned victories for Canada. The Somme, poorly planned and
poorly executed, saw death and destruction on such a large scale that it can only be
described as the greatest disaster of the war. And that is what World War 1 was: an epic
disaster.
The Battle of the Somme was the bloodiest battle in human history. More than 1,000,000
men were wounded or killed during this 141 day campaign. (Wikipedia, 2014) On the
first day alone, the British suffered over 57,000 casualties, with more than 19,000 killed.
It was the single bloodiest day in British military history. (First World War, 2009) By the
end of the battle, the troops of the British and French empires suffered over 600,000
losses, while the forces of Germany lost almost 500,000 men. (Veterans Affairs Canada,
2014)
Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, chief of staff of the British Expeditionary Force, was the
architect of the battle. After the slaughter on the first day of the battle, Haig insisted the
Germans had “undoubtedly been shaken and have few reserves in hand.” (HistoryNet,
2014) Haig continued to fight the battle for four months before winter forced the
hostilities to end. By then, his army had suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties.
Military historian John Keegan has characterized Haig’s leadership as the “greatest
tragedy in Britain’s military history.” (Keegan, 1999) Haig continued to believe in the
cavalry long after it was proven that mounted soldiers were useless in World War I.
(HistoryNet, 2014) Haig’s Somme offensive was badly planned and badly organized, and
highlights the brutalities of the Great War.
One of the most striking examples of the destructiveness of the Battle of the Somme
occurred at Beaumont-Hamel where the Newfoundland Regiment was almost completely
destroyed. No covering artillery fire supported the Newfoundlanders as they left their
trenches and German machine gun fire mowed them down in large numbers before they
even reached the gaps in their own barbed wire. (Newfoundland and the Great War,
2014) Private Anthony Stacey, who watched the assault from a forward trench, recalled
he “could see no moving, but lots of heaps of khaki slumped on the ground.” (Veterans
Affairs, 2014) The few Newfoundlanders who made it to the German lines realized the
week-long artillery barrage that preceded the battle had not cut the German barbed wire.
In 30 minutes, it was all over. Over 700 members of the Newfoundland Regiment were
killed, wounded, or missing. Only 68 responded to roll call the next day. (Munroe, 2014)
The battle had annihilated the Newfoundland Regiment.
The Battle of the Somme was the bloodiest battle in human history. For this reason it was
the most important battle of the Great War. Poor planning and bad organization resulted
in the most destructive battle in the history of the British Empire. The almost complete
destruction of the Newfoundland Regiment is an important example of this. The
brutalities of the Somme represent everything that was wrong with the First World War.
References
Firstworldwar.com (2009). First world war.com - battles - the battle of the somme, 1916.
[online] Retrieved from: http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/somme.htm
[Accessed: 10 Oct 2014].
Heritage.nf.ca (2014). Newfoundland regiment: the somme, 1916. [online] Retrieved
from: http://www.heritage.nf.ca/greatwar/articles/somme.html [Accessed: 15 Oct
2014].
History Net: Where History Comes Alive - World & US History Online (2014). Field
marshal sir douglas haig: world war i's worst general. [online] Retrieved from:
http://www.historynet.com/field-marshal-sir-douglas-haig-world-war-is-worstgeneral.htm [Accessed: 12 Oct 2014].
Keegan, J. (1999). The first world war. New York: A. Knopf.
Munroe, S. (2014). Newfoundland still mourns its losses at beaumont hamel. [online]
Retrieved from:
http://canadaonline.about.com/od/ww1battles/p/beaumonthamel.htm [Accessed: 15
Oct 2014].
Veterans.gc.ca (2014). Battle of the somme historical sheet - historical sheets - the first
world war - history - remembrance - veterans affairs canada. [online] Retrieved
from: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-worldwar/fact_sheets/somme [Accessed: 10 Oct 2014].
Veterans.gc.ca (2014). Battle of the somme historical sheet - historical sheets - the first
world war - history - remembrance - veterans affairs canada. [online] Retrieved
from: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-worldwar/fact_sheets/somme [Accessed: 15 Oct 2014].
Wikipedia (2014). Battle of the somme. [online] Retrieved from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme [Accessed: 10 Oct 2014].